To be Human
by Gemini14
Summary: This is my first Brigadoon fic, so please be kind! When Melan Blue is wounded during battle, it takes a little time to realize what it truly means to be human.


To be Human……..

Marin looked up in worry as she walked along. Above her, Melan Blue, her protector, floated. Despite his silence, she knew that he was in pain; the water Monomakia, Hyudle, had done some serious damage. Blood oozed from the deep hole in his shoulder, and ran freely down his face. Every now and again he would pause and steel himself against the pain. But Marin noticed when the pauses became more frequent, and longer.

"Melan? Are you all right?" Marin asked, as she gazed up at her tall, blue-armored protector.

"I'll be all right, Marin………." Melan replied, quietly, trailing off as he landed beside her.

"Are you sure?" Marin again asked, as she eyed the still bleeding wounds on her guardian's body. Melan kept his silence, and Marin could tell that he was hiding his pain behind his calm façade. Marin was glad when they reached the row houses, since she could tell that Melan was feeling the full effects of being injured at that point.

"Granny! Gramps! Get out here quick! Melan's hurt!" Marin shouted, when they had come within sight of the house. Within moments, all of the family members were outside. 

"My word! What happened?!" Gramps asked, as Mike and Shiro went to Melan's side and helped him limp into the house.

"A Monomakia attacked while I was at school. Melan fought it and got hurt!" Marin explained, as best she could, while her family rushed around, gathering materials they were going to need in order to help make Melan comfortable. 

"Let me take a look at his wounds." June said, as she pushed forward and kneeled before the now sitting Melan. He watched in surprised silence as the human nurse inspected the damage, and winced when she gently probed at the gash in his shoulder. 

"This is going to have to be stitched closed, and a pressure bandage will have to be applied to stop the bleeding. Can you remove this armor, Melan-san?" June asked, slipping into nurse mode as soon as she realized how serious the wound was. With a slight nod, Melan just merely looked at his shoulder, and what was left of the armor plating slid back and out of sight, leaving both shoulders bare.

"Thank you. I'll do what I can, but I really don't know how to treat Monomakias. Forgive me if I hurt you." June said, as she threaded a needle, and got to work. Melan gritted his teeth as the needle and thread entered and exited his skin, but he never once uttered a sound of discomfort. Yet, he did gasp when the pressure bandage was applied, and Marin gasped with him, sympathizing with him.

"Were you hurt as well, Marin?" Gramps asked, having heard her gasp and becoming concerned for her as well.

"No, I wasn't hurt, Gramps." Marin replied, honestly, then looked at Melan, who looked decidedly pale and wan. Gramps sighed in relief; he didn't want anything to happen to his adopted granddaughter. When June was finished wrapping the shoulder in the bandage, she looked confusedly at Melan's arm.

"It would do your shoulder good if I could place it in a sling, but I don't know what to do about your weapon, Melan-san." June said, as her unofficial patient leaned back against the wall, looking as exhausted as he must have felt.

"Don't worry about it. Deep wounds like this usually heal in a few days' time. I'll be fine." Melan said, though he didn't know quite what to make of all the attention and concern he was getting.

"Still, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. You're as much a part of our family as anyone here in this household." Granny said, speaking up for the first time that afternoon.

"_Family_…………………" Melan thought, as he watched the close knit group disperse somewhat, so he could have some time to rest. 

It was late in the night when June and Marin checked on Melan's injuries. Granny had covered the Monomakia with a blanket, even though he probably didn't need it, and was waiting for them when they entered the room.

"How is he, Granny?" Marin asked. The elderly woman gave her a look of concern.

"Not good. He's developed a slight fever in the last couple of hours since you both got home. I had the feeling that he wasn't feeling as well as he wanted us to believe." Granny said, as Marin gently put a hand to the Blue Swordsman's forehead. She recoiled when she felt the heat emanating from his skin.

"It's all my fault. He's this way because I was in danger and couldn't protect myself." Marin said, guiltily.

"No, it isn't your fault, Marin-chan. He wants to protect you and he obviously cares about you very much. I can tell by the way he looks at you. In fact, it makes me a little jealous." June admitted, as she dabbed at Melan's face with a cold, damp cloth. 

"Why?" Marin asked, curious as to why her adoptive aunt would be jealous of her situation.

"How many young girls get to have their own knight in shining armor come to life? How many of them can actually talk to them? See them? He may not be exactly like you imagined him to be, but he is gentle and kind, even if he is a little dense when it comes to personal relationships." June said, with her usual kind smile. Marin smiled a little as well, she had to admit, June seemed to know what she was talking about. Then the smile faded, and she looked worriedly at the slumbering Monomakia. Unbeknownst to her, Granny and June exchanged a knowing look; they knew what Marin herself did not. 

"_Give it time. Young love must not be rushed._" Granny thought, as she looked heavenwards, knowing that Gen was somewhere up there, watching over all of them.

Melan awoke to someone wiping his face with a damp cloth. He opened his eyes to see Granny in front of him. He gave her a questioning look, but, before he could say a word, she put a finger to her lips and motioned to her left. With confusion marring his features, Melan looked to his right and saw something that surprised him; there was Marin, curled up just under his sword arm, her head pillowed on his chest.

"She stayed up all night with you, making sure you would be all right. She was very worried about you, you know." Granny said, gently.

"Why? Why was she worried about me?" Melan asked, softly, so he wouldn't awaken Marin.

"She cares about you. Very much I might add. It would break her heart if you were to leave her." Granny said, as she watched Melan look down at the girl with an indiscernible look in his eyes.

"I would never leave her………..I'm her protector………….Who would protect her if I don't?" Melan asked, more to himself than to Granny. 

"Only you can answer that question, Melan. You know your own heart better than I do. And you know that you are not only duty-bound to protect her, but you also hold her close because you want to." Granny said, startling the young Monomakia with her wisdom.

"Do I have a heart? What does it mean to have one?" Melan asked, suddenly aware that he was at a loss for anything involving his own state of being. Granny shrugged.

"Like I said, only you can answer those questions. As far as what it means to have a heart, well, that in itself is what it means to be human." Granny replied, as she checked the bandage and stood.

"But I am a Monomakia, I'm not human at all." Melan said, disparagingly.

"It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, Melan. As long as you have an idea of right and wrong, good and evil, love and hate, you are human enough. That is what gives you a soul." Granny said, wisely. Melan stared at her with wide, crimson eyes, not quite certain as to how to take Granny's remark, but he knew that, somehow, what she had just said was true. 

"Are you sure you are not a normal earthling?" Melan asked, in all seriousness. Granny chuckled and gave him a very slight, teasing smile.

"Gen used to ask me the same thing. Yes, I am very much a normal earthling, but I have years of experience-gained wisdom. Don't worry, Melan. I know that there is a heart in you somewhere, and that is what makes you human." Granny said, then added, "Now rest, you still have a bit of a fever. June will be in later to check on your shoulder. Sleep well."

"I will try." Melan replied, then looked down at Marin.

"_What have you done to me, Marin? I've never felt this way before. Is this what it means to be human?_" Melan wondered, as the first rays of the morning sun shown into the small room through the window. Unbeknownst to Melan, a certain three-eared cat watched the house from his perch on a fence.

"Yes. That is what it means to be human, Melan. Took you long enough to learn that lesson!" Lolo muttered, good-naturedly, as he jumped down from the fence and casually walked off into the sunrise.

__

You're here, there's nothing I fear. And I know my heart will go on……………….

__

Owari


End file.
